We Are Like Colanders
By David Sunfellow
If we imagine our Authentic Selves to be like water, then our earthly selves are like colanders that are full of holes. The less developed we are, the more holes we have; the more developed we are, the fewer holes we have. The holes represent lack of development, defects in character, unresolved shadow issues, everything that is not perfect about our human natures. The more we are able to grow up, develop, and perfect our earthly vessels, the more the Divine can fill them, and the more we can hold and embody the Divine.
The problem with most people who have near-death experiences (or other kinds of spiritual experiences) is this: They have an encounter with God, with their Authentic Selves, with other spiritual forces. These forces fill their human consciousness with the higher attributes of their souls: love, joy, peace, clarity, knowledge, connection. But then, after the initial encounter, these forces slip away, like water pouring through the holes of the colander. And the more spiritual forces that pour out of the colander, the worse we feel: little by little, drip by drip, we feel cut off, uncentered, disconnected, alone, empty. So we refill our bowl again by reconnecting with the Divine. And for a little, until the water starts to leak out again, we feel great. And then we start to leak and feel awful again.
And so it goes. We fill up and leak out; fill up and leak out.
The trick, of course, is to fill those holes; to build a solid container for the Divine. And that takes work. Just filling ourselves up with the Divine is not enough to allow us to stay connected with the Divine all the time. We have to grow up and fill our holes.
Which brings me to another important point. I really think the purpose of life is more about building a new consciousness or container for the Divine, than simply stripping things away. Stripping things away is akin to leaving this world and returning to Source, or Authentic Selves. I don’t think that is why we came to this world. We can do this, but if we do, I think we get sent back to try again.
The real purpose of life is for us to bring our Authentic Selves into embodiment in this world. That’s a very different approach to life that requires a very different response. We are building containers that can hold and embody the Divine, not simply stripping our humanness away so we can melt back into the Oneness from which we came.
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To read the very thoughtful discussion that produced this comment, go here.
